WASHINGTON, DC – Today, in recognition of Black History Month, Congressman Kweisi Mfume (MD-07) announced the introduction of the African American History Act of 2026 in the United States House of Representatives. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) is co-leading this effort and introduced the bill's companion legislation in the United States Senate.
This legislation will authorize $20 million in funding over 5 years for the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) to support African American history education programs for students, parents, and educators. It will also define African American history as inclusive of the history of slavery and the civil rights movement, as well as the numerous contributions of African Americans to our nation's collective history. Additionally, it empowers the NMAAHC Director to develop and disseminate Black history resources through a social justice and anti-bias lens.
The introduction of this legislation comes at a time when the Trump Administration and aligned state governments have intensified efforts to narrow or restrict the teaching of race, civil rights, and systemic inequality across the country. By strengthening the National Museum of African American History and Culture and expanding access to accurate educational resources, the African American History Act of 2026 affirms that the federal government has a responsibility to ensure that the full American story is preserved and taught. In the face of attempts by the Trump Administration to scale back diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and reshape how our nation’s history is presented, this bill makes clear that truth, scholarship, and historical integrity will not be sidelined.
"African American History is American history, and it is essential that we work to ensure that it is told fully and accurately. The full history of the Black experience in America must always be protected – because the story of African American people is integral to the story of the United States of America, and that history must be respected and admired as such," said Congressman Kweisi Mfume. "The African American History Act of 2026 will serve as a lifeline to ensure that the teaching of Black history is given the resources needed to protect it from the push to censor the truth from the very highest levels of our government, and I am grateful that Senator Booker has joined me in this crucial effort in the United States Senate. We must be unwavering in our message to this administration: Your efforts will fail. What you erase, we will replace."
“American history cannot be told honestly without including the experiences, struggles, and triumphs of Black Americans. When we rewrite or distort that history, we weaken our understanding of who we are as a nation and the work that is still needed to build a more just society,” said Senator Booker. “I am proud to reintroduce this legislation that expands access to African American history programs, helps local leaders incorporate these programs into their curriculums, and provides students and families with resources to meaningfully engage with the full story of Black history in America.”
Congressman Mfume’s bill in the United States House of Representatives has 92 original cosponsors.
Click HERE to read the bill's full text.
The African American History Act of 2026 would:
- Authorize $20 million in funding for the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) to support African American history education programs for students, parents, and educators.
- Define African American history as inclusive of the history of slavery and the civil rights movement, along with the acknowledgement of the numerous contributions made by African Americans to our nation's history.
- Authorize the NMAAHC director to develop and disseminate Black history resources through a social justice and anti-bias lens.
- Express that it is the Sense of Congress that the federal government must take a leading role in bolstering the accurate teaching of African American, Hispanic and Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and Native American history.
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